Manipulation
by Trixfan
Summary: Psychological manipulation is a type of social influence that aims to change the perception or behaviour of others through underhanded, deceptive, or even abusive tactics. Intrigued – beware this is strong T for suggestive, off screen themes. M rated story of the compromise on the backboard, explaining Darcy and Lizzy first night together.
1. Prologue

'Miss Bennet,' Mr Darcy watched the woman readying herself for her usual morning walk. He knew she had much to think upon because he'd caused her distress. Still he had no choice in his manipulation of her. It did not make the lot in life his Elizabeth would suffer any easier to bear. 'May I join you?'

Lizzy did not answer. Instead she indicated Mr Darcy should offer his arm. They exited Netherfield together, unchaperoned. Only the servants were about to report this as gossip. It did not matter, for in less than two weeks they would be man and wife under God's jurisdiction.

'I walk to the church at Longbourn,' Lizzy finally found the courage to speak as they reached the border between the two estates.

Nodding at this, Darcy kept his eyes facing forward. He too needed the solitude and fortification of God's house after the acts he had committed against a gentlewoman. Still it could not be helped, this dreadful manipulation, even if he loathed himself for deeds he'd perpetrated. He had to believe all would turn out well.

Silently the couple entered the church. Mr Michaels, the current pastor watched them from his alter. He came to bless his God every morning, to ask for strength to continue is work and to spread the good Lord's word. Their society was far from that indicated by the lessons in the bible. He had heard the confession of his parishioners. On the surface all appeared good and gentle while underneath lay a nest of sin. Husbands beat their wife's, men forced themselves on maidens, children lived in the most hostile of environments, drinking and gambling occurred at every level of society leading to devastation and grief. However this, thankfully, was not the norm. Still Mr Michael's had seen enough to clearly understand the expression on the young couples faces.

'Mr Darcy, Miss Bennet,' he bowed, 'how can I be of service?'

Glancing nervously at her betrothed, Elizabeth wondered how she could speak freely to her pastor. She had much she wished to confess and more she needed guidance on. Still, she could not utter a word with Mr Darcy beside her.

'I should like a moment of your time,' Darcy held his stoic face firmly in place. The apprehension of his fiancée had not escaped his notice. 'I think Miss Bennet would appreciate a visit with your wife, if that can be arranged.'

'Of course,' Mr Michaels sensed great discord between the young couple. 'Please make you way up to the house, Miss Bennet. My wife is about. Perhaps Mr Darcy can call for you in an hour.'

'I will make it two, Elizabeth,' he stated impassively. 'I shall return with the carriage and escort you back to Netherfield.'

'Thank you, sir,' she curtseyed to both men before hurrying away.

'I believe,' Mr Michael's gave the man a demanding look, 'we have much to speak on. You have pre-empted your wedding vows.'

'There is a very good reason, Sir,' Darcy's expression became thunderous. 'I am dying.'

* * *

This is just a teaser. I am writing the next chapters as you read. I look forward to your comments as this will be much darker than my usual fic.


	2. Lumps Revealed

'Miss Bennet,' Mrs Michael's stood to greet her guest. This early in the morning, far before the appropriate time for callers, only her husband could have sent the young woman. Studying her countenance, she noticed the tears in the usually happy woman's eyes. Forgetting courtesy, she took the girl into her arms and allowed her to sob. After all, she had known the Bennet family for many years.

'It is hopeless,' Lizzy cried as she'd not allowed herself to cry before.

'Come, sit beside me and tell me what is so hopeless,' Mrs Michael's stated in a kind tone. 'Please call me Anna, and I will address you as Lizzy for I know it is what your closest friends and family call you. I am your friend, Lizzy and I need not say it, but your conversation will go no further.'

'I know it,' Elizabeth made to dry her eyes, only to have fresh tears run down her face.

'Wait here and have time to compose while I arrange tea and something to eat,' Anna placed a hand on her shoulder, ensuring their eyes met and the younger woman understood her meaning. 'I fear we have much to speak of and some of it will not be for the walls to hear.'

It took the pastor's wife ten minutes to return. When she did, Anna carried the tea tray. Her servants had been sent on errands that would keep them away from the house for several hours.

'No, do not dissemble and tell me it all in the most graphic terms. I know you do not like Mr Darcy after his abuse of your character at the Meryton Assembly yet the first of the bands were read for your marriage on Sunday. How has this come about on such a short acquaintance,' Anna asked in the most forthright tone she could manage.

'You know my mother too well not to understand how Jane caught a cold on the way to Netherfield, nor the reason why. My sister has been recovering in that house,' Lizzy started. 'The very next day I walked to see her. Mr Darcy greeted me as I came into the park. His countenance I shall never forget. He is always so severe and remained so for the first three days of our stay. I continued to believe he hated me with his disdainful looks and argumentative language. On,' pausing, Elizabeth became flushed and embarrassed in equal measure, 'the third night of our stay, he came to my room.'

While inappropriate, Anna could guess the rest. It was not unusual for the Master of a house to have servants warm their bed at night, willing or not. She had heard of male guest taking the same liberties. For a Gentleman to treat a woman of the same class that way could only lead to disrepute or marriage. Trying to negate her emotional state, indeed her feelings of injustice for Elizabeth, Anna had heard many a tale of force upon a woman before. Those women acted much as Miss Bennet. However they did not have the gentleman offer for them after the fact.

'Lizzy,' Anna offered in a soft tone.

'How,' she stood suddenly, pacing the room in agitation, 'can something that started without my consent end in such pleasure. I am ashamed of my feelings and how I acted for the rest of the night. He has come to me every night since and taken me many times. I have come to enjoy his attentions and it makes me feel disgusted. He only separates as the morning light enters the sky. This engagement cannot be broken and my father is aware of how it came about. My Papa has given his consent for me to remain at Netherfield until the marriage so he may continue to visit my bed every night.'

'You enjoy the lovemaking,' Anna tried to keep the surprise out of her voice.

'Not at first,' Lizzy deflated suddenly. Returning to her seat she looked with a longing expression into Mrs Michael's eyes, watching for any hint of disapproval. 'I woke to him in my bed, kissing me with such passion. I did not fight him thinking if I lay quietly he would lose interest.'

'He did not,' Anna encouraged.

'No, I believe Mr Darcy took it as an affront to his ardour. He doubled his efforts. Forgive me, but I have never been kissed in the places he kissed me. Too soon my body knew it wanted something only he could give me. There was a moment of hurt, maybe a little more, then such pleasure as I had never known, not even when he kissed me so inappropriately to prepare for the loss of my maidhood. Afterwards he explained why he had done it.'

'Will you not tell me?' Anna urged once again. She felt there was much more to this sordid story.

'He is dying and must have an heir to Pemberley. He knew of my dislike, of my mother's manipulation of Jane to capture Mr Bingley. In fact, Mr Darcy is well aware of my cousin Collins right to throw us into the hedgerows upon my father's demise. You see he is acquainted with him through his Aunt who holds Mr Collins living. His plan was very simple. Find a strong, stout woman who could bear at least two children very quickly so his line may continue. There are no other Darcy men for six generations and the line will die out if he does not produce a male heir,' Lizzy tried to make sense of it but knew she had muddled her way though.

'So,' Anna recounted the information, 'Mr Darcy believes himself to be dying and in need of a wife who has demonstrated fertility and strength. You come from a family of five so your chances of becoming with child and carrying to term are as good as anyone can boast. You are fit, young and have a quickness about you he would wish in his children. Added to this, you family will be destitute with the death of your father and Mr Darcy is in the position to keep five women. He needed a legitimate heir so, despite your feeling for him, he must marry you. However to overcome your dislike he had to take you, not by force, for you would not stand for that, but by manipulation.'

'Yes,' Lizzy felt ashamed and yet elated that the pasters wife had summed up her position.

'There are many women in situation that do not end as well as yours,' Anna stated. 'Listen to me, Lizzy, before you express your anger at what you perceive to be my complicity with Mr Darcy. While the man is no gentleman for taking you the way he has, even you see his need, his desperation in this deplorable deed. The act is not unpleasant. Mr Darcy seems to want to please you in your marital bed and has pledged himself to your family's welfare. You are to be married, thus saving your reputation. Becoming the Mistress of a large estate will give you freedoms you have not considered, especially if you're soon to be husband is to make you a widow.'

'You think I should rejoice in my situation,' Lizzy turned her anger on the woman. 'That I find pleasure in becoming tied to a man who has forced my virtue for his own reasons without thought or feeling for mine?'

'I do not,' Anna pursed her lips. 'But the act is done and cannot be undone. You must find peace where you can. Think, even now you might be with child. Pour your love and devotion into your son or daughter for they will be the next Master or Mistress of Pemberley. You must protect them so this fate does not befall your children.'

Taking in a sharp breath, Lizzy had not thought that far ahead. Placing a hand on her belly, she wondered if it might be so. The thought of a child both frightened and pleased her.

'You have given me much to think upon,' Elizabeth said in a tone filled with longing and loathing.

'I am always here, Lizzy,' Anna smiled slightly. Turning the pot, she felt the cooling liquid within. 'Now, the tea has gone cold. Shall we retire to the kitchen to brew another pot and enjoy our breakfast before you must return to Netherfield?'

'Yes,' Lizzy followed the woman. Somehow the conversation, the act of telling someone else had lightened her emotions. For the remainder of the visit they discussed much more mundane topics.

'Lizzy,' Anna hugged the confused girl as the Darcy coach rolled up the drive. 'Tell Mr Darcy all you have spoken with me. Make him understand how is actions have affected you. I do not think him so unfeeling as you think. I promise a man who hears his wife speak to him upon his pillow after taking his pleasure is a man able to be manipulated. Use your feminine arts to better your opinion of each other. I feel yours can be a marriage of felicity if you are both willing to work at it.'

The words, if he is truly dying, for as long as you have together lain heavy on the air and unsaid. Both women thought it and shared opinions through their expression. Nodding, Elizabeth exited the room with both a lighter and heavier heart.

And so, that night when Darcy crept down the hall, Lizzy awaited him. Standing in the middle of her chamber, she'd shed her clothing, opening herself fully to him. Eyes wide, he came to her with questions radiating from his blue irises.

'I spoke with the parson's wife, quiet explicitly,' she answered the unasked question.

'This is the result,' he stated in wonder. 'You give yourself to me unreservedly?'

'I cannot lie,' Lizzy worked through her embarrassment, 'I like what you do with my body. It is my mind that rebels at the acts we have shared when I do not know who you are. I still do not like you or what you have turned me into, yet we are to spend the rest of our lives together and I wish for at least some felicity and respect between us.'

'I know what I have manipulated you to do is unconscionable,' Darcy sighed. 'As a rational man, I cannot condone such behaviour against a gentlewoman. I apologise, Elizabeth and will use every day to make up for the way I have forced your hand in this matter. I am more than aware of your dislike of me and yet I cannot help myself continuing to want you. I wished I could have awaited our vows but time is of the essence.'

Taking her hand, he used the other to lift his night shirt. Guiding her fingers to his testicles, he forced her to feel first one then the other. The gasp acknowledged the difference between them.

'Every doctor I have visited,' Darcy explained, 'and there have been many, has given the same diagnosis. There is a growth,' with his words he once again guided her fingers to the lump, 'that expands. Eventually it will cause pain and I will suffer a most grievous death. There is a man who believes it has been the curse of the Darcy's. He has seen this before in other families. It is the reason births are so low and Darcy men die at an early age.'

'Then,' Elizabeth, taking in a large breath, placed his hand upon her breast, 'let us continue in the hope that an heir will appear as soon as may be.'

He did not wait. Picking Elizabeth up, he carried her to the bed. Laying her gently on the fine cotton sheet, he removed his night shirt. Kneeling, he moved her legs apart and prepared to pleasure her. Kisses, starting at her calf rose higher and higher until he reached her nirvana. Once she cried out in pleasure, he took his own. They would dance this like several times before he left to avoid detection with the breaking of a new day.

Upon leaving, Darcy placed a hand on her still flat belly while Elizabeth continued in a fatigued sleep. Tonight she had participated as never before. Indeed, he'd felt secure enough to ask for a most inappropriate kiss from his betrothed. That she agreed made him almost come before she started.

'I can only hope,' he whispered to the ball of dividing cells he did not know lay there, 'that my words reach the tiny ears of my son. That I have not taken this woman's virtue in vain.'

* * *

For those of you wondering at Mr Darcy's disorder, he has testicular cancer which often runs in families and afflicts men between 20-35 years of age. There are two types, a slow and fast growing form. I will add more information as the story progresses as to which type Mr Darcy has.

I have a vote to put to you. There is a way for me to make this less heartbreaking and offer the possibility of a HEA, although I do not think it a good or realistic ending. Please tell me if you are for a sweet sadness or miraculous cure. If there is enough response, I could do both.


	3. Life Continues

Due to the absolutely amazing response to this story, I'm going with both endings. This chapter sets up the situation so I can diverge to the different endings. The Epilogue to follow will have two parts. Just choose which you want to read or both if you'd like.

Thank you to the guest who pointed out the facts about Testicular Cancer. These facts and other conditions are well known to me. You must have read my mind. To the guest and DannieRaRa, I took particular pains to paint Darcy as manipulative not a rapist. What he did, cohering Lizzy is unconscionable but she did not say NO, just did not respond to his advances. That is why I'm considering an M or MA chapter to describe the actual events of their first night together. Please let me know if this is what the main audience wants or if you just want to leave it to your imagination.

And now, on with the main event.

* * *

'You must go, Mr Darcy,' Elizabeth tried to remove the man from her bed. He had taken to leaving only at the very last minute and kissing her passionately as though he cared deeply for her. 'My sister and mother will soon be here to prepare for our wedding.'

'There is something I wish to ask,' Darcy would not let her go from the warm encirclement of his arms. Allowing one finger and thumb to gently squeeze her nipple, she let out a soft grunt. As he expected her breasts were very tender, more so than the last few days when he'd first noticed the change. 'When are your courses due? Elizabeth, do not toy with me. You know how important this is.'

'It is not a subject I though you would know of, 'she stated with embarrassment, 'or care to discuss.'

'We have been frank with each other these last two weeks,' Darcy frowned, remembering how their visit to the parsonage changed the direction of their relationship for the better. 'I have been given a gentleman's education which included bedding a woman. There are places a man of my wealth and connection can go to lay with a woman or purchase one for a mistress. I refuse to tell even you of my past encounters but know there will be no one except you from this day forth. You can expect no demands or visitations from any quarter in the future, especially once I am gone. I have left no illegitimate children or scorned women. Some women will not lay with a man while they experience that time of each month. We have shared a bed for almost three weeks and I have not seen evidence of blood on the sheets except for that first night which was to be expected. I must ask you, Elizabeth, is there any possibility that you are with child?'

'I believe so,' she stated breathlessly. 'I have all the signs according to Mrs Michaels.'

'I wondered at the length of you visit yesterday. Now I shall leave you to the mercies of your mother and sisters,' Darcy kissed her on the temple and climbed out of the bed. 'Thank you, Elizabeth, I could not have asked for a better outcome. I will take every care with you while your body holds my heir.'

'I will not break,' she allowed an eyebrow to rise, wondering what he could mean.

'I am sure you will not,' he smirked, pulling on his dressing gown. 'I will prove that once we are at Pemberley. We have a long journey before us for this affliction makes it difficult for me to be in a carriage for many hours at a time.'

'I have noticed you inability to sit,' she teased.

Lizzy had not come to terms with his capacity to accept his fate. Deep in her heart and mind, she wondered what could be done to cure Mr Darcy. _If he were a sheep_ , she considered, watching him walk to the door, peek out and then leave without a backward glance, _we would simply castrate him by tying a tight string around his testicle. I should not know such things but I have been watching and listening to the farm workers. Surely the same would work for a man. They simply fall off after a week without pain to the ram. Could the same not occur for Mr Darcy? Would it not save his life? Yet afterwards the ram cannot beget lambs. I might be with child now, but I know my betrothed wishes for as many children as we can manage before, but I will not think of that day on this, my wedding._

The thought would not occur again for many years. The wedding proceeded under the guidance of Paster Michaels. Mr Bingley hosted a small breakfast for his friends and neighbours. He'd found it strange, Darcy's insistence the Miss Elizabeth stay at Netherfield for their very short engagement yet is proved to increase the felicity between the pair. He'd hoped Miss Bennet would be allowed to stay as company for her sister but Mr Bennet had become furious at the suggestion which intrigued him greatly.

Finally as the sun hit the zenith, Darcy's carriage began to roll out the gates. It took five days to traverse one hundred miles to Pemberley. The newly married couple travelled only one hour in the morning and another in the afternoon, stopping often to see the country side. Any more and Mr Darcy found his lower anatomy swelling to a great size that caused pain.

Arriving at their destination, the couple took several days to adjust to each other and their new situation. It had been one thing for Mr Darcy to sneak into his betrothed's bed each night while surrounded by others at Netherfield. To live beside each other by day and sleep together each night became too much for Elizabeth. She required some time part from her new husband.

So Mrs Darcy took to her duties easily, confiding in Mrs Reynolds and taking her cues from the older woman. The responsibility for Pemberley could not be learnt in a week or month. Elizabeth knew she would still be relying on her housekeeper in a years' time, especially with a babe in tow. All too soon she felt nauseous in the mornings and tired in the evenings. Enchanting her husband became a chore. Darcy felt the lack of intimacy but took it stoically with the inducement of continuing his line. However he refused to give up his wife's company at night.

'Darcy,' Elizabeth called in the middle of the night. They had not shared a bed for two nights at her insistence.

Immediately he attended her. It did not take long to understand her fear. On the pristine white sheet, spots of blood drove fear into both of them. In that instant, Elizabeth knew she had come to care for this man who had forced marriage and motherhood upon her.

'I will send for the midwife immediately,' Darcy rushed to the door, torn between wanting to comfort his wife and worry for his unborn child.

'No,' she cried, 'please just hold me. I am so frightened for there has been no other sign of complications. If I have lost this child it is God's will. Nothing can stop it now. Calling the midwife at such an hour will help no one.'

'At first light,' Darcy promised, taking her into his arms and carrying his wife to his bed, 'I will have the woman sent for. You are not to move until we are sure, one way or another.'

'Please, let me get a new nightgown,' Lizzy implored. When he frowned, she added, 'I will be able to establish if the bleeding continues.'

Placing her upon his clean sheets, Darcy striped her naked and covered his wife with the blankets. 'No, if there are any more signs, we shall see them upon my bedding.'

'It is normal, this type of spotting, so early in pregnancy,' the older woman couldn't hold back her smile. She'd asked her questions and examined Mrs Darcy. It came as no surprise that the baby would come less than nine months after their wedding. 'Now, I must tell you of the quickening. It will occur in about two or three months. The first time you feel the child move, Mrs Darcy, you stomach will flutter and the sensation will feel strange. You are not to worry but from then on I will come to you once a week. I can see this child is much wanted.'

'Yes,' Mr Darcy stated from his position across the room.

He'd made quite a scene, demanding to remain in the chamber while the midwife examined Elizabeth. Further, he left Mrs Merriweather in no doubt that he would attend every visit and the birth of his child. Mrs Darcy easily acquiesced to her husband's demands. The look between them confused the retainer.

'I am safe,' Elizabeth smiled up at him, 'as is our child. Do not frown so, Dearest, all will be well.'

'What about our physical relationship,' he demanded of the midwife before she left the room.

'I see no need to stop your activities,' she stated. The younger staff had informed her of the Master and Mistress's sleeping habits until Mrs Darcy's condition could no longer be hidden. It seemed his bed had only been used this last week as she became increasingly ill in the mornings. 'As long as your wife welcomes you and you are gentle for the next week or so, this child is in no danger. Indeed as the time draws near, it will be better if you practice much in whichever position Mrs Darcy finds comfortable. That is usually from behind or on her side to help support an extended belly. The month before the birth it is imperative you ready your wife if you wish for an easy entry of your heir into this world. Do you,' with this Louise Merriweather held two fingers in a curled position before her pubis. With Darcy's nod, she smiled slightly, 'good. You are to stretch the birth canal like this,' she pulled the finger wide apart with caused both Darcy and his wife to look to each other with bemused expressions. 'Massage will ensure no tears or strain. It will make further deliveries more pleasant.'

'Thank you,' Darcy found the forthright woman just what he had needed to sooth his confused mind.

'I will call again in a month, unless you need me before,' she smiled, curtseyed and left the couple to their own devices.

On the way out, she found Mrs Reynolds and suggested dry biscuits be placed at Mrs Darcy's bedside and other places she frequented for it would help with the morning sickness. The old retainer could count on her fingers and knew the child had been conceived before the marriage. She knew of the doctor's visits, the tincture of laudanum in the cupboard and her master's inability to sit for long periods of time. It did not take long to understand his hurry to marry and produce an heir. After all, Mrs Reynolds had seen the same symptoms with Mr George Darcy. After one son, Lady Anne had never conceived again. (Sorry, no Georgiana in this story which only makes Mr Darcy's situation even sadder.)

'Push, Mrs Darcy,' Louse demanded, 'you have crowned. I must have the head out. Yes, that is it, now do not push, I need to turn this little one's shoulders to make it easier. There, all done. Now push, yes, and one more and your child shall be here.'

With that the child slithered into the world with an indignant cry. The cold, hard world of reality set upon the child as Mrs Merriweather's hands scooped the remaining goo from his nose and mouth. Mr Darcy, watching impatiently over her shoulder noticed the gender. A smile graced his face as his fingers itched to take the babe.

'We have a son,' he informed his wife.

'Sarah,' Louise's voice cut through the room, 'give Mr Darcy the receiving blanket. He is a bonny babe but he will lose heat quickly. I need your attention now, Mr Darcy. Take you son while I detach him from his mother. You must swaddle him like we practiced once I have completed my task.'

She made short work of tying off the placenta in two places. About to set the shears to the cord, Darcy watched in horror. Still he could not look away as mother became separated from son. As soon as the deed was done, Sarah demanded he wrap the little one.

'Give him to me,' Elizabeth demanded. She looked exhausted but exhilarated. A twelve hour labour had taken most of her strength.

Torn between his wife and son, Darcy took the swaddled bundle to the bed. Sheets still covered in blood and mucus, he lay beside his Elizabeth without care for propriety. Immediately she placed the child on her breast as Louise instructed.

'I will not have a wet nurse,' she declared.

Smiling, Darcy had been warned she would insist on doing everything for her offspring. They spent hours speaking with the midwife. Although not sure why he insisted upon attending the birth, Louise could not afford to alienate the Master of Pemberley.

'His name will be Alexander,' Lizzy announced.

'We decided on Edward,' Darcy really couldn't care about the name. The lump had become larger in the last month and caused much pain. In all likelihood he would not be around to call his son anything. However there were times it seemed to retreat and gave him an almost normal life before flaring up again.

'The next one shall be called Edward, if he suits the name,' she parried in a tone not to be ignored.

'And when shall we expect the next one,' Darcy found himself astounded and amused in equal part.

'One year from today,' she declared.

Mrs Elizabeth Darcy did not quite get her time correct. Master Edward Darcy arrived almost fourteen months later. All too soon the family grew again. Pemberley welcomed Master George Darcy toward the end of the third year of his parents' marriage. However his father knew his time on this earth grew short. His condition worsened when their youngest child turned one. Often he took to his bed, laced with laudanum as the pain reached into his belly.

'Darcy,' Elizabeth came to his side. 'I cannot lose you now. I have an idea and I wish for you to try it. Please say you will.'

'Tell me,' he whispered. So she did. Shocked, he did not know if it would work. Yet he had no other choice. 'Have you spoken with any of the doctors?'

'There is only one, Mr Sanchez, who will perform the task. I have invited him to Pemberley and he arrives in the morning to administer the castration,' she stated. 'I have something else to tell you, dearest, I am increasing again.'

'Then I will do my best to stay for the birth of our daughter. I wish a girl, my love,' he's words became a whisper as the laudanum once again claimed him.

'I will do my best, dearest,' Elizabeth felt the tears flow down her face. She could not help the feeling of melancholy encompass her. What had started as a horrendous and manipulative compromise had ended in a most happy marriage. 'We will call her Williamena, after her father.'

'No,' the long sigh came from the almost comatose man.

It made Lizzy laugh. It was so like her husband. Even in such pain he still had to be in charge and making decisions. She had long ago learnt he only went along with her ideas if they did not directly contradict his. If Darcy did not care one way or another, he allowed her to choose. It seemed Elizabeth Darcy would have to consider another name for a girl.

'No,' she allowed an elbow to rise, 'you shall be here to welcome your daughter and you shall choose her name the day she is born. I will have it no other way.'

Even in his medicated sleep, Darcy smiled. He would survive if only to ensure his wife delivered safely. Until then he would undergo any treatment that offered the least possibility of staying with his beloved Elizabeth and their children.

* * *

Ladies and Gentlemen, as a health professional I implore you to check your husband's, partners, lovers testicles once a month. Do not be shy to take them in your hands, roll them around and gently feel for lumps. For the partners, do the same for the ladies in your life. Breasts should also be examined once a month. I did not mean to write this as we come up to the world's greatest morning tea for breast cancer awareness but I guess it comes at a most fortuitous time.


	4. Sweet Sadness Ending

OK, so I've decided to go with both endings. We get the Sweet Sadness first followed by the Miraculous Cure in part two of the epilouge. I would love to hear what you think of both.

* * *

 ** _Sweet Sadness_**

'It is done,' Mr Sanchez announced, making the tourniquet as tight as possible.

The doctor stayed at Pemberley ten days to ensure his patients wellbeing. At first they gave laudanum every time Mr Darcy came around for he could not bear the pain. After seven days of this hell, the shrivelled, blackened item finally fell from Darcy's body. The doctor insisted the other should remain as they might want more children. Elizabeth had argued, demonstrating her three strapping boys and ever increasing stomach.

Next came the quartering. Mr Sanchez insisted the area needed to be burnt to ensure the healing scar did not suffer from infection. Darcy put up with yet more pain as a hot poker seared his anatomy and caused more agony. Another week passed before he could sit for any length of time. Declared as well as could be expected, the doctor returned to London and wished the family to attend him in six months.

'You shall have to go alone,' Lizzy sat in the green parlour watching her recovering husband cautiously pace the room.

It had taken weeks for him to remove from their bedchamber. In that time, Pemberley's steward, Mr Huntington came to Darcy every day for instruction. The estate ran from the bedside with the aid of his wife.

Months passed before Darcy felt well enough to make to below stairs. Now he joined his wife and children for meals and felt able to spend some time in more pleasurable pursuits. Still he could not ride and did not have the vitality to spend time with his growing boys. Fitzwilliam Darcy had become but a shadow of his former self.

'I wish you could accompany me,' Darcy sighed and went to her side. Siting slowly, he placed a hand on her belly. It would not be long before Elizabeth entered her fourth confinement.

'Then we shall delay and go to London as a family,' she smiled.

'I have expressly forbidden you to travel until each child is weaned. As you did not achieve that between the boys, I shall have to insist the same for this child,' he stated in a hard tone.

'I have not left Pemberley since my marriage to you five years ago, dearest. I wish to return to Longbourn now my parents are too old to travel. Kitty is to marry this year, Jane is expecting her second child and Mary has a beau,' Elizabeth concluded. They felt it imprudent to talked of Lydia who had eloped, never to be heard from again.

'I have invited Mr and Mrs Bingley every year for Christmas,' Darcy countered, 'and they bring the rest of your family.'

'The boys are eager to see their cousin again,' Lizzy smiled. 'Let us think upon it. I will write to Mr Sanchez and delay our appointment, unless,' she looked at her husband again. He seemed so much better even if he had suffered greatly through his treatment.

'Unless,' he questioned.

'Are their symptoms you are withholding from me?' Lizzy asked in an even tone.

'You know I will never be the man you married,' he stated in a cold tone. To lose a testicle in such a fashion had diminished his worth in Darcy's estimation, even if his wife tried to prove otherwise every night they lay together.

'No, you are so much more than I hoped when I took you for a husband. I will admit in those first days I did not think well of you. Now I love you so very dearly and I will not lose you,' she concluded with such a look of determination it made him smile.

They made the appointment with Mr Sanchez several months later than the doctor wished. The new babe turned out to be yet another boy. William Darcy had a surprise for his parents. His birth shared by his twin sister, Anne, completing the complement of children Elizabeth wished to bear. This time Darcy insisted upon a wet nurse and his wife happily conceded.

'What is your diagnosis,' she'd taken a leaf from her husband's book and refused to allow him to take in the doctor's advice without her presence.

'You have escaped but not completely. I believe, if we had achieved the castration earlier in your illness we might have saved you completely. I cannot give you a time, Mr Darcy but I fear the sickness will attack your innards at some point in the future. I suggest you live everyday as if it is your last,' he stated in a calculating tone, 'for when the end comes it will be swift. Keep a stock of laudanum for that day and Mrs Darcy,' he sent her a quelling look, 'do not be stingy with its administration.'

They would have another seven years together, watching their children grow. In the year before his death, Darcy's breathing became harsher, his ability to walk around his home decreased and he fatigued easily. Day by day he slipped further into sickness until he took to his death bed. Elizabeth, remembering the words of Mr Sanchez did not spare the laudanum. Her husband died peacefully at home, a shadow of his former self.

'Boys,' Elizabeth came to her sons on their thirteenth birthday. She's warned each of the Darcy curse and the cure. Each year she drilled the importance of diligence into them. At first she had examined them for the slightest sign of their father's affliction. As they became able to do the check for themselves, she simply asked if they found any lumps. 'I wish for you to find a woman you can love and marry. Do not wait for you are all that is left of your father's line. It is up to you to ensure you beget your heirs and undergo the procedure before it proves too late.'

Alexander, her eldest married at three and twenty. He had six children over the next fifteen years. It appeared the Darcy curse did not affect him. Edward never married for he found the dreaded lump. Luckily Mr Sanchez, at the end of his professional life, agreed to administer his father's cure. He lived a long life and became a politician decrying health care for all. George and William also escaped, both marrying and producing children.

Upon her sixtieth birthday, Elizabeth Darcy surrounded by her five children, twenty two grandchildren and fifteen great grandchildren still lamented the loss of her beloved Fitzwilliam. Oh she'd been but a young woman when widowhood became her. She thought on taking another husband and eventually decided there was enough to do as Dowager of Pemberley. She passed away two years later of pneumonia and was laid to rest beside the love of her life.

* * *

Even with this sad end, I had to give Lizzy and Darcy at least a few happy years, although they would have been tainted with Spector of death constantly at the door. In all likelihood, at this time, with the methods available, Darcy would have died much sooner and probably not been able to father more than one or two children. Call it artistic licence. And for any of your wondering, yes I am a cancer survivor and thank God every day that I live in an enlightened world with good medical facilities. The alternative ending soon to follow.


	5. Miraculous Cure Ending

Sadly we have come to the end of this tale. I hope you like this nicer ending.

 ** _Miraculous Cure_**

'I am glad you called me Mrs Darcy,' Mr Sanchez shook his head in disbelief the moment he felt the offending object.

Elizabeth only allowed her eyebrow to rise. 'My husband informs me,' she stated in a cool voice, 'that many doctors and physicians opinions were sought at the beginning of his infirmity.'

'I can guess at their diagnosis,' Sanchez shook his head, 'and the advice they give Mr Darcy.'

'You do not agree,' she asked in a sardonic tone. While Elizabeth Darcy wanted to hope, she'd felt any optimism dissipate in the last days. Fitzwilliam's condition seemed to deteriorate suddenly. Hot, feverish, last night her husband had rigors.

'No,' the doctor stated with a decided frown. 'How could this man live with a curable disease all these years? It is a simple case of misdiagnosis.' Noting the woman's, Sanchez tried to calm his fury for the Darcy's. 'Forgive me Mrs Darcy, but had your husband sought my advice I would have been able to help immediately. I have seen this and the more deadly form that others professed. They present the same way and if left untreated this to can cause death.'

'Pray tell me, Mr Sanchez, what is it you believe ails my husband,' Elizabeth couldn't take any more of this man's dissembling.

'It is not a growth but a cyst,' he announced. 'Allowed to fester they grow and cause much pain. On occasion they are filled with fluid that causes sickness. Once I have extracted the contents, I am certain everything will go back to normal, if your husband has the tenacity of sprit to overcome the infection.'

'Infection,' Lizzy questioned. In truth the thought sent a shiver of apprehension through her body. She had watched over her boys as they overcame childhood illnesses that often took babies far too soon. Her offspring had the tenacity of their mother and managed to survive every attempt of the cruel world to take them from her bosom. She hoped her husband had enough courage and energy left to affect a positive outcome should this man be correct.

'Please, let me alone,' Mr Sanchez dismissed her. 'I will call when I am finished. In the meantime, I would welcome Mr Darcy's valet attending me.'

'My husband was present for the birth of all three of my children,' Elizabeth forced a calm tone. 'If you think I will move from his side now, you are very much mistaken.'

'Then go to my leather bag for I must have the needle. I wish to find out what is in this cyst,' Mr Sanchez tested her fortitude, keeping the woman's gaze. He became the first to look away.

Hiding her grimace, Lizzy did as bid. Some of the tools in his kit resembled those of the butchering kitchen. Shuddering at the thought of which he would use on her beloved Fitzwilliam, the deadly looking glass and metal apparatus almost made her want to vomit. Yet Elizabeth forced herself to watch on in anger as he plunged the needed into her husband's enlarged testicle. Darcy screamed through the laudanum haze. Mr Sanchez insisted on tying his patient's hands to the bed posts and Hobbs, his valet to hold him still until the procedure ended. She could now understand why. Wishing to tell the man to stop, Lizzy pursed her lips. Horror struck her when a thick dirty brown liquid filled the glass syringe.

'This, Mrs Darcy, is pus mixed with stale blood and may be found in wounds that are infected,' Sanchez explained when he'd not frightened the woman away. 'It causes great illness and death. I believe there is so much in this testicle that its weight is pulling on your husband's abdomen. That is the cause of the pain he is currently experiencing but only in some part. However we will have to wait several days to make sure.'

'I have nursed my children through the worst,' Lizzy gritted her teeth. 'I shall not leave my husband unless it is necessary.'

'This could go one of two ways,' Sanchez warned. 'Either the sack will refill, forcing me to start the procedure over again. Should that occur, the only method of cure will be to castrate your husband as we discussed in our letters. The other involves complete recovery from the pus that has travelled to his stomach. I am afraid we are in for a long wait either way.'

Elizabeth sat by his beside and waited. She could not be there twenty four hours a day but stayed as long as she could. Alexander, Edward and George were too small to understand their father's condition. However, Mrs Darcy insisted they come to their Papa's sickbed, if only for a few minutes each day.

The next day his testicle had not refilled and Elizabeth sent up a prayer of thanks. This did not seem to make Mr Sanchez happy. He insisted they wait at least a week before he returned to London. In that time, he would teach the local physician his unique technique. Even then, he recommended Mrs Darcy continue to monitor her husband for any signs of increase. If it did, they may still have to remove it. He wished to see the patient in a month.

'Darcy,' she whispered when he showed signs of waking the next day but did not need the laudanum.

Unable to speak for a parched throat, she forced her husband to drink. He felt hot and looked at her in confusion. This ailment she knew all too well. He had taken ill, the doctor called it infection but the children experienced such symptoms multiple times. This, Elizabeth Darcy could treat easily with the tools at hand.

'Mrs Reynolds,' she approached the housekeeper, 'Mr Darcy's condition has improved however he looks much as the boys did when the caught a bad cold last winter.'

'I will have the herbs prepared,' she stated, bustling off to the special part of the pantry reserved for such tonic provision. 'If that is all that ails Mr Darcy, we will soon have him back to normal.'

'Yes,' she whispered, 'we shall.'

The day that followed saw the fever break. No longer did Darcy require pain medication or grip his belly in discomfort. Without the laudanum, Fitzwilliam's breathing normalised and his colour improved. On the second day he wanted sustenance. Mrs Reynolds happily prepared chicken soup and had to aid Mrs Darcy to keep him abed to eat.

'I will not be treated as a convalescent,' he demanded of the women surrounding him. They would not allow him to dress and come down stairs. Even Hobbs took his Mistress's side in this and refused to attend his Master. Darcy knew he felt well on the way to recovery. Indeed he had not felt so well since returning to Pemberley with his new wife. That had been a little over four years in the past. 'You and I sent Mr Sanchez back to London yesterday as I have astounded even the good doctor with my recovery. I wish to be with my family and the father my son's deserve.'

'Well,' Lizzy once again arched an eyebrow, 'I know you are improving with that masterly tone, dearest. However in this I will not give way. We have another child expected in six months. Young Alexander is only three and six months, Edward just two and George not even walking. They are happy in the nursery for a day or two more while their father's health improves. However your wife if much relieved.'

'Elizabeth,' Darcy glared.

'Do not try that tone on me,' she returned his glower in equal measure. 'This is one time you shall not get your way, Mr Darcy. Please rest, dearest, I want you always by my side.'

To say he accepted her ultimatum would be placing too fine a point on the situation. Grumbling, Darcy found himself restricted to his chamber for another three days. His only compensation, his wife came to him every night and lay with him. Mr Sanchez demanded they resist intimacy for at least a month. Elizabeth managed to hide her smile. Mr Darcy had not been in any state to claim his husbandly rights since the night she suspected they conceived this latest child.

'Mrs Reynolds,' Darcy roared.

His voice echoed through the halls as he called for his most trusted servant. He had been back in charge of his estate for four months complete. After an early morning ride, he'd gone to check on his heavily pregnant wife only to find her very distressed.

'Yes,' the woman suddenly appeared.

'Call for the midwife, Mrs Darcy's labours have commenced very suddenly,' he stated, a wild look upon his face. 'It is far too early,' he managed to convey the level of his anxiety.

'I do not think so,' Mrs Reynolds smiled. She and Mrs Darcy had been keeping somewhat of a secret. 'Have her waters burst?'

'That,' Darcy stated with fury, 'is why I am calling for the midwife.'

'All is well,' the older lady took him to the kitchen as she demanded the servant's assistance. She sent a boy for Mrs Merriweather and the upstairs maids to start the kettles boiling.

'I must go to Elizabeth,' Darcy started once again, only to be stopped by the elderly retainer.

'You have time for a cup of tea and to settle your nerves,' Mrs Reynolds demanded, placing his favourite biscuits before him. In the months since his recovery, she had forced weight back to his gaunt frame. Mr Darcy almost resembled himself in looks and personality. 'Josephine has been sent to be with Mrs Darcy, along with Sarah. Both have assisted Mrs Merriweather with the birth of your other children. You know this will take hours and you wife prefers to walk for the first part. You will be needed as her time grows closer.'

Mrs Reynolds could not have been more incorrect in her assumptions. Mrs Merriweather arrived but an hour later. She took one look and went to work.

'This child is in a great hurry to enter the world, Mrs Darcy,' she stated. 'I do not think it will be above two hours before you are welcoming the latest edition.'

Anne Darcy came into the world with an indignant cry. Her hair already the same colour as her mother, specks of brown and green could be discerned in her tiny eyes which opened for a few seconds to study her father. He fell instantly and irrevocably in love with his daughter.

'Sarah,' Louise instructed the maid, 'do you have the second receiving blanket. Good, then bring it here. We have a second child. Only a little while longer, Mrs Darcy and we shall see little Anne's twin.'

'You knew,' Darcy accused.

'Suspected,' Lizzy wished to harm him right at this moment in time.

'Come now,' Louise recalled their attention to the job at hand. 'Do you wish another son or daughter?'

'Does it have enough fingers and toes,' Darcy commented, cradling his little Anne protectively in his arms. 'I could not care so long as my wife is well.'

'Darcy,' Elizabeth cried indignantly.

'Well,' Louise handed off the second child, 'it looks like you have two daughters.'

'Jane,' Lizzy glared at her husband, demanding the second child be given to her immediately, 'I want to call her Jane. I can see she has blond hair like my sister.'

This pregnancy, coming so soon after Darcy's illness and the birth of their boys, proved too much for Elizabeth to recover easily or quickly. Never sickly she chafed at the restrictions her body placed upon her. Her husband insisted upon a wet nurse to aid in feeding two little girls. Often he could be found in the nursery, leaning over Anne's cot. She seemed an exact copy of his wife. He loved Jane also but felt a special connection to his eldest daughter even now in her infancy.

'I will never let anything happen to you,' he promised, glancing between the cribs. 'Never will I allow a man to manipulate you as I did you mother. You shall marry good men that you love. I promised Mr Michaels and God that day we walked to Longbourn Parrish that I would spend the rest of my life making up for my behaviour towards my beloved Elizabeth.'

'I forgave you,' she'd silently slipped behind him, 'the same night. I think my body knew how much you would come to mean to me before my mind and heart engaged. You are a good man, Fitzwilliam. I cannot and will never understand how desperate you must have been in that moment. You overcame every rational thought, every principle that had been bred into you since the school room.'

'If you had told me to leave,' he swallowed hard, remembering the courage he'd needed to approach her in the middle of the night, 'I would have. I can only anticipate you would believe me. I had no intention of taking you against your will. I hoped our discussions demonstrated your passions in the marriage bed would rival your passions against me. I needed you as I have never needed another before.'

'I believe,' Lizzy teased, 'you knew me better than I knew myself.'

'I love you, Elizabeth,' he turned to her, touching foreheads and whispered the words he'd used every day since they arrived at Pemberley to start their marriage.

'And I you,' she allowed a hand to cup his cheek. Covering it with one of his own, they kissed, tenderly, lovingly and demonstrating devotion towards each other one would not have though possible given the way their relationship commenced.

'I despair of Anne ever marrying,' Darcy frowned to his wife of thirty years as they sat in their private parlour.

Alexander was to be marred on the morrow from Pemberley Parrish. Edward had taken orders and had the living at Kempton with his wife of six months. George came from the war office in London with General Richard Fitzwilliam. It appeared the young man would never marry just like his uncle. Early in life the Darcy's found he rejoiced the company of ladies, just as Richard did but preferred the company of men for more intimate encounters. They formed a very tight bond to keep their socially unacceptable habits well hidden.

'I am sure my mother would have said the same about me,' Lizzy still teased her husband. 'But I think we are to be treated to a fine sceptical when Lady Helen's family arrives at the church. I believe our Anne has taken quite a dislike to Viscount Pembroke.'

'Indeed,' Darcy stated. 'They shall be much in company, as Lady Helen is to be our future daughter.'

'Six months, dearest,' Lizzy continued embroidering a handkerchief with the initials AP. She would give it to her future son in law on his wedding day. 'I believe you will have to give away your favourite in six months. I can only hope Jane's confinement will not interfere with that wedding.'

* * *

And that ladies and Gentlemen is another story which I might write at another time.


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